The second injury report ahead of New Year’s Eve’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff.
The New England Patriots were down five veterans during Thursday’s preparations for the Buffalo Bills.
Offensive tackle Trent Brown as well as safeties Jalen Mills and Jabrill Peppers continued to sit out practice. But running back Ezekiel Elliott and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster also became non-participants for the active roster as the AFC East visit nears.
And elsewhere, for personal reasons, rookie wideout Kayshon Boutte was a late addition to the absent.
Here’s the second injury report leading up to New Year’s Eve’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Highmark Stadium.
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
Patriots
- RB Ezekiel Elliott (illness)
- WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle)
- WR Kayshon Boutte (not injury related — personal)
- OT Trent Brown (illness)
- S Jalen Mills (concussion)
- S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring)
Bills
- DE Shaq Lawson (illness)
An afternoon removed from placing starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson on injured reserve, the Patriots went without his complement. Elliott missed practice due to an illness. The summer signing has accounted for 120 rushing yards, 126 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns over the past three weeks. As for Smith-Schuster, who has gone from questionable to inactive for back-to-back games because of an ankle injury, he began the week as limited. Three of New England’s sidelined also sat out Wednesday’s work on Buffalo. Brown rotated in for the offensive line on Christmas Eve, while Mills played a season-high 62 defensive downs in the absence of Peppers, who missed his first game as a Patriot.
LIMITED PARTICIPATION
Patriots
- TE Hunter Henry (knee)
- DT Christian Barmore (knee)
- LB Anfernee Jennings (knee)
- LB Ja’Whaun Bentley (knee)
- CB Jonathan Jones (knee)
- CB Shaun Wade (hip)
- CB Myles Bryant (chest)
- ST Matthew Slater (hamstring)
Bills
- RB Ty Johnson (shoulder)
- DE A.J. Epenesa (rib)
- LB Terrel Bernard (ankle)
- S Micah Hyde (neck stinger)
- S Damar Hamlin (shoulder)
Eight continued to practice in a partial capacity for the Patriots on Thursday. The lone change among them would come at outside linebacker, where Jennings was previously listed with an illness and is now dealing with a knee injury. The Alabama product stands a dozen starts into the final year of his rookie contract. He has recorded 53 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery while ranking second on the defense with 10 stops for loss.
FULL PARTICIPATION
Patriots
- OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (knee)
Bills
- WR Justin Shorter (hamstring)
- DT DaQuan Jones (pectoral)
- DE Leonard Floyd (wrist, rib, rest)
- DE Von Miller (veteran rest)
- LB Dorian Williams (knee)
- CB Cam Lewis (thumb)
- LS Reid Ferguson (right thumb)
The Patriots opened Wheatley’s 21-day window to return from injured reserve midway through December. The August trade acquisition, who appeared in two games as a reserve offensive tackle in the fall, remains a full participant. As for the Bills, the list of full-go players lengthened from five to seven after the week began with a walkthrough practice in Orchard Park.